Battlefield 3 beta sets expectations for release date

The days are getting shorter as we head towards the Battlefield 3 release date, and we’ve seen a variety of stories, which include tips on how to avoid Battlefield 3 bundle disappointment for the PS3, and even a few details on unlocks for BF3 achievements.

One thing DICE has made very clear in the last week or so, is Battlefield 3 beta runs on old code and the retail game already has many more improvements than what is found in the beta, although there is still a lot of confusion amongst gamers. Some Xbox 360 and PS3 owners are not enjoying what they’ve seen, and this ranges from graphics to glitches.

One recent article asks if BF3 should be delayed, although we find this a little strange it does highlight either concerns or a misunderstanding with the BF3 beta. DICE has stated that they think there has been “a misunderstanding of the term beta test”, and that they need to stress test the servers. Some gamers feel this kind of statement is just undermining them, and DICE should use the most recent beta code.

We got under 3 weeks until Battlefield 3 release on the PS3, PC and Xbox 360. DICE will want the players to buy the game, but the problem is they have set the expectations for BF3 now, although that bar has been set very low in our opinion. This has a positive outcome for DICE if they launch a game that is miles better in terms of graphics and current problems, which is what they say the retail game is, then these low expectations could be met with a game that is much better than expected, in turn everyone will praise and rate the game top marks.

How low or high are your expectations for Battlefield 3, and do you think the beta will help sales or make them worse?

It pisses me off to read people posting and commenting that the game has this problem and that problem. That’s the point of a beta! There’s alpha code and there’s beta code and then generally a Release Candidate, and afterwards a full release.

Now, do you not realize that a full release is the final product, and we are still in a Beta? That means there are 2 more cycles of the product before we see a (finished) version for retail?

This is exactly one of the main reasons Activision doesn’t do Betas… people assume, talk trash, and get on the Internet and make comments to all the wrong people – hurting expectations and possible sales with negative feedback. If you have a problem with issues or experiences in the Beta, the right people to go to are DICE and EA. For every person who’s saying something to a random online website or blog, that’s one less person DICE is hearing in order to truly get passionate feedback about their game.

The End.

John Xontic

I think a big problem most of you miss here is that DICE actually put the beta code out before the release of the game. When MW3 hits, it will suffer the same shizzy ace glitches and lag and hit detection it always has. They never do a BETA, but BF3 will have the beta under it’s belt and have a smoother launch with less bugs. This will also help with gamers communicating the fixes and improvements toward it’s current status to their friends.

Truth is here people. DICE care to get their launch title as good as they can, and if that requires showing some mistakes they had before hand, they will. (Halo 3 devs didn’t want to put in saved film because it would show somethings that they didn’t want you to see, but they added it because it made the fans more happy to have it. They also have betas and look how smooth halo runs)

Ri5val

DICE have shot themselves in the foot here, more people will be or have been put of by the constant support they have for the PC version and the terrible bugs littered in the beta. If anything people will play it for two week before mw3 then I think there will be a dramatic drop in number of people still playing bf3. I think ea/dice have made a really marketing strategy by releasing it before mw3.

Scottmac2232

you are right i think pc that game looks bad

Cookie

Oh deary me, both of you have no idea! lol its a BETA… and to repeat, its early code… BF has been going strong before COD and will continue too… lol